Jackie Steves is guest-hosting her Dad’s blog with 17 posts in 17 days. Follow the adventures of Andy and Jackie Steves as they — the first Steves to venture into South America — report on their experience.

Nicole, four British girls, Andy, and I were picked up and transported to a small dance studio for a short lesson. In a dance style with strict gender roles, it was necessary that our teacher instruct both genders once at a time.

The girl takes one step toward the guy, the guy one step back. Both take one to the side. The guy two steps forward, the girl two steps back. Another one to the side. Then the guy leads the girl from side to side as she pivots sensuously on her feet. Then the final pose, with the guy’s leg slid out and the female’s lifted up and curved around the male’s extended leg. We learned this in three sections, practicing after each new addition.

The woman never asks, but is only asked by the males. The instructor shouts “switch partners” frequently so that you’re never with the same partner for long. I wished I had a swanky tango dress and glittering stilettos to complete the transformation into a tango dancer.

The lesson only lasted an hour and then we were all shown into the dining room and served dinner. I swear, people from other countries fall more deeply in love with one another then Americans do. As I look around at couples here on a date, it is a sight I’m unaccustomed to because few Americans look into their lover’s eyes so intently and speak with such loving animation with one another.

I wish I got a picture that better captured the spirit of tango, but this is the only one I got.

Enlarge photo

For dessert we were served ice cream, as well as a spellbinding tango performance. It consisted mainly of three dancing couples and a couple of male alto singers. It told the history of tango, which dates back to the late 19th century, through dance. So incredibly sexy! Andy remarked afterward that he was impressed at how all the eyes of the females in the room were absolutely glued to the dancers for the entire show. They moved their legs as fast as a tap dancer, but their movements were instead graceful cursive twirls. The dancers displayed a level of harmony as perfect as a world-renowned choir. I could watch this dance for hours and barely blink an eye, that’s how hooked I was. People say tango is mesmerizing. Now I know what they mean.

Tango seemed a bit sexist in that the man always leads and the woman always follows. On the other hand, however, it is a style of dance that truly showcases the woman. All eyes are on her — her glamorous dress, her glimmering visage, her sultry legs, and her elegant movements. The men all look alike in pinstripe suits, merely acting as pointers to the women, who look powerful in their silver heels and steely assurance.

Afterward, we hopped a cab with Nicole to Palermo, the young hot nightlife district. But it was only midnight, far too early to hit up the club. So we snuggled into a fireplace-warmed pub, the most elegant of pubs I’ve ever been to. Few were the couples. Instead, small groups of friends conversed around small round tables — all so well-dressed! No one seemed to care they were packed in like sardines.

We made friends with a couple who shared our table. “We’re just friends,” she claimed. “He does my hair.” Two minutes later we were left to our own conversation as they French kissed for an extended period of time. “What?” I thought, “They do this in such a graceful bar??” But somehow it seemed to fit. It was totally different from the trashy DFTs (“dance floor makeouts”) you witness in college — just two lovers indulging in each others’ lips.

Before we knew it, it was time to go to the club, the reason why we trekked to this neighborhood. Club 69! Thursday night was drag show night. We paid what felt like an arm and a leg for the cover and coat check compared to the pennies we were paying for other things (in this very affordable city). I watched with amusement as Andy’s eyes grew big at the sight of transvestites strutting their stuff across the stage. We danced, watched, drank, took pics with the drag queens, danced, watched, drank, got tired, and cabbed it home.

Am I seeing an odd trend amongst the Steves men with an unusual fascination of drag queens? 8^) Jackie suck out all the marrow of life now! When you are your father's age you will be looking for a good night's sleep after midnight not another club. I am afraid some of your blogging may be giving dear old dad some white hairs.

I've read a few of your blogs and I must say that a common theme that I pick up on is always throwing a dig at America or her culture. Can't you write about your experiences with other cultures without condescenion of America [INVALID] your own country? Remember, it was mostly Americans interested in travel who made your dad successful. Also your bar hopping escapades really do get old. Everybody everywhere has done it, so your blogging about it is rather uninspiring.

I was really looking forward to following this blog, but I have to agree with the previous comment from Beth. There is typically some thinly veiled criticism about American culture included in this blog, which isn't necessarily bad (everyone is entitled to her own opinion), but it gets annoying when followed up with an expression of how "above it" the author seems to feel she is.

Looks like some people still fail to read Rick's warning above the blog section. It is only natural to find differences between one's own culture and the one we are visiting and in the euphoria of the experience degrade our own a bit. I am sure the opposite is happening as well but that would not make for very enjoyable reading.

After reading the comments calling Jackie out for so-called criticism of the US, I had to go back and re-read each of the entries. The only thing I could find remotely critical was the comments about lovers' gazing into each other's eyes. To me this reads more as a recognition of a cultural difference than necessarily a criticism, but then I would be feeling a little uncomfortable around people who were making blatant PDA's even if they weren't making out. Part of our culture is a lack of comfort with real intimacy[INVALID]which is what Jackie described. Also consider her generation and how they primarily communicate electronically and you can see how her response has been colored by experience. As for other criticisms about the bar-hopping, if that is what you expect them to do, that is all you will get from the blogs and completely miss the evocative descriptions of the scenery and her real attempts to see beyond the bar scenes. Finally, expecting 20-somethings to behave like 40- or 50-somethings is unrealistic. I personally am enjoying the well-written prose and taking this blog for what it is[INVALID]the impressions of a young adult.

Nancy, How well have you re-read the blogs? She has commented about how the natives were abused by the Spanish. She's commented about [INVALID] phshaw [INVALID] eating at a Hard Rock cafe when in another country (which I wouldn't do either, but I respect other travelers who want to go there). If you cannot see the haughtiness in her (and her father's) comments, then you are blind. People want to read about travel and experiences in other countries. Everybody has an opinion but it is the condescension of the Steves' that is at issue here. On the one hand they want to portray themselves as open to other cultures and countries, yet they cannot resist the temptation to swipe at America.

Um, Sophie. Last time I checked, the Spanish came from Spain, not America and America didn't even exist as a country when the abuse by the Spanish conquistadors occurred. I think you are overly sensitive in regards to the tone you are reading into Rick's and Jackie's blog postings. Of course, your post and mine will now be removed by the moderators and rightly so because they both violate the terms for posting. How appropriate that my captcha is lambasted.

Nancy, I'll connect the dots for you. Whether it's discussing the Spanish colonizing S. America a few hundred years ago or the America of today, the point is that there is a veiled contempt towards the countries that colonized. Funny that you should demean my opinion and comments as being uber-sensitive. Do you think that the peoples that the Spanish dominated during the colonization of the Americas were oversensitive as well? If the moderators want to erase commentaries critical of them, that just highlights their intolerance, not mine.

So funny to hear you mention about the South American couples! We returned from our first trip to Brazil and Argentina in May and noticed the same thing and as well as a whole new level of PDA compared to what you see in the States. Happy to know romance isn't dead the world over. Happy travels.

Actually, Sophie, the last postings that have gone between us will be removed because it is specifically against the guidelines to respond directly to other posters, not because of criticism of Rick or Jackie. Also, the facts are that when Europeans came to the Americas, in many instances they DID commit atrocities. Acknowledging that is not showing contempt, just being realistic. Just like saying, yes, slavery happened and was bad (and actually human trafficking still occurs, just not as blatantly and not institutionalized by the American governement any more). Were the Incas total innocents? Certainly not. They ruled their kingdom through fear and intimidation. However, that doesn't excuse the Spanish for what they did or the American colonists and expansionists for what THEY (we) did to indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. Colonization has never been a benign event and always has had overtones of superiority in the minds of the colonizers vs. the people who got there first. Incidentally, all of the criticisms of Jackie's blog were pertaining to perceptions that she was being critical of America. YOU added the twist of being bothered by her being critical of colonizers after I called you on the fact that the Spanish Conquistadores were not from the US of A. Now then, as this (rightfully) will be removed and I have nothing further to say to you, I will depart.

Nancy, Notice that it was YOU who first violated the blog site's rules that you like to cite. YOU directly attacked me first and I responded. Sorry you do not like someone pointing out your biases. Good riddance to you, too.

I was looking forward to these blogs too, but am uninspired and bored. Perhaps because I want to hear more about the culture than that 2 people Jackie was just introduced to, just started French kissing. Are you kidding me? Are you trying to write a romance novel or a travel blog? I don't want to hear about that! What drivel. Grow up Jackie, do your club scene, just don't write about it, as someone said before, it's so overdone already. I guess I've been spoiled by Rick Steves' writings and narratives over the past couple years when I came across one of his travel shows…you'll never be him Jackie. We'll always love you though Rick!!!! Signed, Off to travel, and to watch more of Rick Steves' Europe

Most partner dancing – swing, waltz, salsa – comply with the cultural norm that men lead and women follow. In places outside of South America, the norm is that folks still follow gender roles when dancing, but sometimes folks break out. I learned to lead when I got tired of sitting on the sidelines at swing dances (there's always more girls at dances for some reason) and love it. In my uber-liberal neighborhood in Boston they also have a 'gender-neutral' LGBT tango dance. Really, it's easier to learn to lead OR follow, so most people just do what the norm is.